IFC Orders a Sketch Show from the Birthday Boys, Produced by Bob Odenkirk and Ben Stiller

IFC is continuing to stockpile high-profile comedy shows, in a continued attempt to rival competing comedy-heavy networks like Adult Swim, TBS, and Comedy Central. The network announced today it has greenlit a sketch comedy show from LA-based group The Birthday Boys. Ben Stiller and Bob Odenkirk are both onboard as executive producers. This is the first sketch series Odenkirk has produced since his own Mr. Show ended its run over a decade ago. The Birthday Boys is a group of seven writer-performers (Jefferson Dutton, David Ferguson, Mike Hanford, Tim Kalpakis, Matt Kowalick, Mike Mitchell, and Chris VanArtsdalen) who have been putting on a monthly sketch show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles since 2008 in addition to releasing popular online videos. The group’s members have worked for Funny or Die and IFC’s Comedy Bang Bang and appeared on shows like Parks and Rec, Conan, and The Office. IFC has ordered a 10-episode season of The Birthday Boys, which is set to premiere late this year. Hit the jump to check out some of The Birthday Boys’ videos.

IFC also ordered a new show from Funny or Die called The Spoils of Babylon. It’s a parody of miniseries like The Thorn Birds in the form of an adaptation of a fictional novel by author Eric Jonrosh (Will Ferrell) about a wealthy oil family. The six-episode series was created by Andrew Steele and Matt Piedmont (SNL, Casa de mi Padre) and is also expected to debut late in 2013.